bmw r 1200

This weekend at the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, California, Ohlins will unveil the world’s first aftermarket electronic suspension system. The Ohlins Mechatronic suspension system will be on display at the Ohlins USA booth mounted on a 2011 BMW R 1200 GS ESA.

Ohlins says that the new suspension system was developed from the company’s experience with creating one of the world’s first electronic suspension systems for the Ducati Multistrada. Ohlins also points to Noriyuki Haga’s 2007 World Superbike season as inspiration for the new system.

Ohlins writes: /;The mechatronic system from Öhlins interacts directly with the R 1200 GS ESA’s primary ECU, plugging directly into the existing user interface. The kit includes front and rear TTX shocks, a wiring harness, and a dedicated ESA ECU, utilizing the OEM display and rider controls for adjustment. As evidence of its smart-as-heck intelligence, the Öhlins mechatronic system features a semi-active function, automatically adjusting the suspension damping in relationship to the motorcycle’s speed. With the latest technology of twin-tube TTX shocks mated to a brilliant ECU, the mechatronic system from Öhlins provides a double upgrade: an athlete-grade suspension mated to head-of-the-class electronics.”

With the new Ohlins system installed, you’ll still be able to use the BMW controls on the handlebars. This allows riders to easily switch between the multiple driving and damping levels, as well as adjust the pre=load settings.

And if manually hitting a button is too much effort for you, Ohlins ECU can monitor the bike’s speed in order to choose the right settings. In comfort mode, the bike will switch to the stiffer ‘normal’ settings when the motorcycle exceeds 49 mph. When the bike hits 74 mph, the ECU will switch to ‘sport’ mode.

The Öhlins BMW R1200GS ESA replacement system is now available, at the incredibly low MSRP of $3,279.00.